Gravity toy or game



1929. L. s. GUNDERMAN 1,739,719

GRAVITY TOY QR GAME Filed Dec. 23. 1927 WITNE SE3 INVENTOR Wm a if? w m I a W Patented Dec. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES LESTER S. GUNDERMAN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA GRAVITY 'IOY R GAME Application filed December 23, 1927. Serial No. 242,034.

This invention is for a novel amusing gravity toy or game, which may be utilized purely as a toy.

My ob ect being the provision of a simple inexpensive arrangement involving in its operation, the movement of marbles or like objects passing over inclined runways, the rocking of one runway will release spherical objects automatically, one at a time from a magazine and discharge them at the end of said runway onto a base.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 represents a section view of the toy with the rocking runway shown in its two extreme positions.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the upper end of the rocking runway,

in its extreme upper position.

01' other like spherical objects as they are discharged onto the base, the holes 6 are used in scoring when the device is used as a game.

The upright 7 is attached to thebase 5, and

is formed from light gauge sheet steel into a channel shaped cross section, which insures great stiffness with minimum weight. Secured to the upper end of the upright 7 is an inclined magazine 8, likewise made from light gauge steel, said magazine is sufficiently inclined to enable the marbles to roll by gravity towards its forward or lower'end, which is provided with an opening 9 through which marbles or the like pass.

A rocking runway 10, made preferably from one strip of metal is fulcrumed at point 11 and supported on the upright 7 by a wire pin 12 passing through these members. The sloping tongued end portion 13 of the rocking runway 10 is formed in such a position that spherical objects such as marbles in passing over the end of the magazine 8, and through the opening 9, force the upper end of the said runway to move downward and the extreme tongued portion 14 thereof to prevent the succeeding marbles or like spherical objects from immediately following the preceding marbles until they reach the lower end of the said runway.

The tongued end 14 of the rocking runway when at its lowest position abuts the top edge of the magazine 8, and when at its uppermost position, the tongue portion 13 abuts the end of the magazine 8, this action indexes one marble at a time through the opening 9 of the magazine 8. 5

The lower portion 15 of the, rocking runway 10 is formed in an upwardly direction so that a marble or a like object rolling down the rocking runway will strike the raised part 15 which arrests the speed thereof, and assists the weight of the marble or such spherical objects in rocking the runway 10. I

The lower end of 16 of the rocking runway 10 is closed to prevent the marbles from rolling out of the end thereof; an opening 17 is provided in the bottom of the said runway. to discharge the marbles or such like objects on the said base 5.

When in operationthe marbles or like objects are placed in the magazine 8, the end 14 of the rocking runway acts as a stop for the marbles. In order to startthe movement of the marbles the upper end ofthe rocking runway 10 is raised, the first marble starts to roll and strikes the portion 13, which causes the end of the runway to rock downward until the marble is released under the lower end of the magazine 8, said marble will pass down the runway and strike the lower portion 15 thereof and will rock the runway 10 in a reverse direction, and so release the nextmarble, which has moved up to the end 15 of the rocking runway 10,-as the first marble strikes the portion 13 of the rocking runway 10 and forces theend 14 downward it will act as a stop for the succeeding marble, so that it cannot follow rapidly in the path of the marble just released. In this manner the marbles one by one are automatically released from the magazine 8 and pass down the rocking runway 10, the rocking action of this member will always release a marble and a continuous operation is assured until all the marbles have been discharged on to the base 5.

What I claim is 1. An automatic toy, the combination of an upright, a magazine at the upper end of the upright, a rocking runway pivotally mounted on the saidupright, a tongue bent upward and backward at the upper end of the runway, said tongue being so positioned that marbles contacting with the upward bent portion when passing over the end oi? said magazine rock the runway downward whereby said marbles or such like spherical objects are delivered one at, a time onto.the

said runway to be discharged at the other end thereof.

2. An automatic toy, the combination of an, upright, a detachable base for said upright, an inclined magazine supported thereby, a rocking runway pivotally supported below the magazine,one end of said runway having an upwardly bentvtongue extending above the end of said magazine and in c011- tact therewith, the lower end of said runway having a discharge opening and a, raised surface above the discharge opening and so positioned that the weight of spherical objects passing over the said raised portion will rock the runway.

3. An automatic toy, the combination of an upright, a detachable base for said upright, an inclined. magazine supported on said upright, a rocking runway pivotally supported on said upright below the magazine, the lower end of said runway having a discharge opening and a portion above the discharge opening, the upper endof said runway having a tongue bent upwardly and backward to contact with the magazine and deliver marblesone at a time onto the runway by the rocking motion of the said runway.

4. An automatic toy, the combination of a detachable base, an upright mounted thereon, a magazine supported at the upper end'thereof, a rockingrunway pivotallyv supported. on the upright below the magazine, one end, of said runway having a discharge opening at thebottomfend thereof, the top end of, said runway having an upward. and reversely bent tongue tocontact withthe end of said magazine to deliver marbles one at a time onto saidrunway by the rocking motion thereof and discharge marblesthrough the 55, saidopening onto the said base. I

In'testimony whereof'I afliX my signature.

LESTER S. GUNDERMAN. 

